Home & Lifestyle | 6 December 2021
The Ultimate Retro-Inspired Gift Guide
Nostalgia and the festive season go hand-in-hand – after all, Bing Crosby wasn’t dreaming of a white Christmas from a year or so ago. And while we wait for Tesla to release a range of environmentally friendly time machines, these retro-inspired gifts might be as close as we can get to giving the gift of a walk down memory lane.
The Peanuts Collection from Lacoste
A Charlie Brown Christmas is a festive favourite on the other side of the Atlantic, while Snoopy’s Christmas – featuring Charles Schultz’s beloved beagle and the Red Baron dogfighting on Christmas Eve – is usually the most-played Christmas song in my house. This third iteration of Lacoste x Peanuts featuring men’s, women’s and children’s lines is sure to spark happy memories of days – and Christmases - gone by.
Unisex Lacoste L!VE x Peanuts Cotton Loose Fit Hoodie - £165
Lacoste 12.12 Peanuts 3 Hands Men Watch - £99
Retro patterns and styles from Zara
Give your winter wardrobe some summer of love sizzle with some outrageous prints and designs from Zara. Check out their puffer jackets with patterns straight out of the 60s and 70s (or maybe your nan’s kitchen), or their range of flares and crop tops that wouldn’t look out of place in Studio 54.
Printed Flared Trousers - £27.99
Floral Puffer Jacket - £59.99
Two ghosts of Christmas past from Waterstones (Westfield London) and Foyles (Westfield Stratford City)
How would Christmas look today had Charles Dickens not given us Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim in 1843? In another 150 years or so will people be saying the same thing about Tim Burton and Jack Skellington? These two hardback books will help anyone immerse themselves in the spirit of Christmas, just as Jack and Ebenezer do.
A Christmas Carol: Puffin Clothbound Classics - Puffin Clothbound Classics (Hardback) - £9.99
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (Disney Animated Classics) - £12.99
Rollerskates from Urban Outfitters
Rollerskates sit right at the intersection of fashion, fun and function, and are making a barnstorming comeback thanks to TikTok. Whether you want to take a trip all the way back to the rollerdiscos of the 1970s, or the in-line rollerblading of the 1990s, Urban Outfitters has a range of colours and styles. They also have matching elbow and knee pads, but sadly not matching plasters.
Impala Rollerskates Pink Quad Roller Skates - £95
Impala Rollerskates Black & Yellow Inline Roller Skates - £120
Modern twists on retro kitsch from Kurt Geiger
Are Kurt Geiger’s jewellery, handbags, and scarves collections actually retro? Or does it just feel that way? Maybe it doesn’t matter because it’s all so delightfully garish. It’s statement fashion at its finest, and the Junkfort slipper collection means that statement doesn’t have to start and stop at your front door.
Junkfort Slipper - £89
Micro Kensington - £49
Unframed Prints from John Lewis & Partners
Bring life to a magnolia wall, class up a man cave, or make your working from home background look more cultured with these retro – and retro-inspired – prints. There are so many designs in-store, but the old-school London Underground posters (courtesy of the London Transport Museum) and Jeremy Harnell’s stylised gaming controllers are perfect gifts for that hard-to-buy-for relative.
London Transport Museum - Vintage Posters Unframed Prints, Set of 4, 40 x 30cm, Assorted - £22
Jeremy Harnell - 'Generations' Gamer Consoles Unframed Print & Mount, 50 x 40cm, Grey/Multi - £18
Nose-stalgia from Penhaligons
(Westfield London only)
Sense memories are powerful, and the smell of sweets can transport us to our childhood like few others. Penhaligons are leaning heavily into a “ye olde sweet shoppe” motif with their Christmas gift sets for men and women straight out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – including an aromatic advent calendar featuring a golden ticket.
Jolly Mixture - £40
Hearts and Humbugs Discovery Collection - £24
Of course, there’s no better way to give the latest in retro style and festive nostalgia than with a Westfield gift card. Valid at all the retailers listed above, and many, many more it's the perfect gift for everyone.